Intense and Innocent
by Saria-Green-Leaf
Summary: A bunch of LinkxSheik oneshots, in which Sheik is male and a separate character from Zelda. Requests are welcome.
1. When Azure met Crimson

Genre: Humor/Romance

Summary: Link-centric short oneshot describing Link's thoughts when he first met Sheik.

* * *

Under its majestic roofs, the Temple of Time kept a boy bound by fate into seven years of slumber. Outside, a boy who was not chosen by the goddesses, but by the princess, struggled to keep the usurped royalty safe.

In those dark, cursed years, the one destined to be hero kept sleeping, while the one who kept the princess alive hadn't had the merit of being called a hero.

When those years were over and the young man with a boy's mind rose from his deep sleep, azure met crimson. Those blue eyes were taken aback at first by such intense, red eyes. Then he noticed he couldn't tell the person's gender. Was it an angel? Saria often told him about those otherworldly beautiful, innocent, winged and genderless creatures. But wait... this person didn't have wings. Then it started explaining him about the destiny he was bound to, to which he listened quietly, while secretly wishing he could take that awful cowl off its face.

At the end of the speech, it finally said who it was: "I am Sheik, of the Sheikah."

So it was a sheikah. That explained those red eyes, but still didn't show the reason for Sheik's genderless appearance. Certainly Impa looked less... delicate in comparison to other women he had seen, but that probably was how warrior women were. Despite the lack of delicacy, she could still be easily recognized as a woman. But Sheik... it apparently didn't have breasts and its shoulders were too wide to belong to a woman, despite its waist looking too narrow for a man.

"Sheik, I don't mean to be rude, but... are you a man or a woman?", the one fated to be hero asked, while seeming very embarrassed by his own question.

Obviously flustered, the sheikah replied, "My biological gender is male, sir Hero of Time. Now go fulfill your destiny. A long, arduous journey lies ahead of you. I must go. We'll soon meet again.", that said, Sheik went away, leaving 'sir Hero of Time' with his own thoughts.

The one fated to be hero soon became attached to the mysterious sheikah man, and came to realize it was hard to take him off his thoughts. Besides, he often found himself wishing he could touch Sheik's hand, caress his hair, kiss those lips hidden under the cowl. Was it what they called 'romantic love', often seen on fairytales? If it was, the hero was sure he would always love him, because love...

"Because love is an eternal feeling."the hero with a child's mind stated after a powerful yawn, which drove him to sleep, where he could have blissful moments with his beloved one.


	2. When Blood met Ocean

Genre: Drama/Romance

Summary: A rather short piece featuring Sheik's past and his thoughts when he first met Link, in which Sheik is his own character. Sheik-centric.

* * *

There was a young boy who, after witnessing his race being swiped from existence, held on duty in order to flee from his own feelings. Despite that he could find solace in the arms of the other survivor, his aunt Impa, he missed one single thing he would never have again: his innocence.

The duty driven boy indulged in studying secrets of combat and magic that belonged to his fallen race, the sheikah, so that he could fulfill the task bestowed upon them, that was to protect the Royal Family of Hyrule.

When Ganondorf, the Great King of Evil, usurped the throne, he was prepared. Princess Zelda fled with Impa, while he managed to save at least a dozen of nobles. They hid in a modest tavern in the far south, past the ever-flowing water of Lake Hylia and the shifting sands of Gerudo Desert. And the poetic, sensitive soul that the boy tried to ignore so much spoke louder, making him realize that those landscapes were in the same situation as them: ever-changing and unstable, controlled by an uncertain fate.

But he knew: inviting poetry to his heart would lead to intense feelings, which often led to depression. So when he went to Lake Hylia in a rare peaceful day, he stared at his reflection in the water and kept focused on his eyes. The color of blood stared back at him, making him remember all the atrocities he had watched in his life. Then depression came, and he promised to never take a glimpse of his reflection again.

There was a day when Princess Zelda told him a hero would come and save them. Upon politely inquiring how she knew such information, she said that the forest boy in green who visited her once was sleeping in the Sacred Realm, which meant he was the Chosen One of the Goddesses. The sheikah boy was disappointed at first for having to wait seven years for the Hero's wake, but quickly contented himself with imagining what he would look like, what he would be like. The perfect opportunity to get to know the Hero came when Princess Zelda assigned him the duty to be his guide.

But… being a guide required a sensitive soul, for knowledge in music and poetry was needed. So the boy, slowly but surely, began to embrace his intense emotions, while noticing they could actually console sadness if used right.

He got to visit all the places that held a sacred temple. In those places, he would learn magic music that would warp him back to them if needed. Being a guide also meant teaching those to the Hero, and the now emotion-driven boy made sure all those places had a matching poem to describe them. But as they also had to connect to the Hero somehow, Princess Zelda helped by telling him the little she knew about his personal life.

Seven years passed.

The sheikah boy, now a young man, waited for the awakening of the Hero. When a sudden, blinding blue light filled the Temple of Time, blood met ocean. Many hylians had never seen the ocean, but he had. It was fierce, yet gentle. The color of blood would surely get lost if mixed in such stable, pure blue that matched the beauty of the sky at evening.

Unfortunately, he couldn't think about oceans and longer, for the Hero needed information regarding his fate. When he finished explaining and introduced himself, the Hero made something unexpected: he asked what his gender was, while calling him by his name! The sheikah man, whose name was Sheik, instantly became flustered. Despite the fact that asking a person's gender is totally inappropriate and embarrassing, calling a sheikah by the name was very rare, considering they were viewed as "the shadows of Hyrule" and were treated like secrets that could never be revealed.

Later that day, Sheik realized that the young man in green couldn't even understand the impact of what he said: not only didn't he know about sheikah mannerisms, as he was raised in the forest, he also didn't know there were times when people couldn't be so straight-forward, for his mind was that of a ten year old child.

One more thing was hidden in the ocean eyes of the Hero, the sheikah realized. It was innocence. The quality he once lost was what kept the Hero stable, courageous and unfaltering.

And when he admitted that what he felt for the Hero was beyond friendship, he wished the sadness he often felt could drown itself in that bottomless ocean, never to be found again.


	3. Innocence

Genre: Romance/Humor

Summary: "It was a known fact: The Hero of Time was a child inside. And I wasn't exactly prepared to deal with that".

* * *

That day... became a memory I will always hold dear in my heart.

Impa, my aunt, had ordered me to wait in Kakariko for the Hero, who was expected to come out of the Fire Temple later that day. My duty for the day was to make sure he would be in good health by having his injuries treated. So I waited in front of the gate until I heard faltering footsteps.

"Sheik...?!", he managed to say between uneven breathing. As expected, he was injured. Thank goddesses those weren't so bad to the point of making him die. I led him to Impa's house while he used my shoulder as a support. Once there, he would rest and I would find someone or something to heal his wounds.

As soon as I tried to leave Impa's house to ask for help, though, I felt one of those calloused, yet soft hands wrap one of my wrists.

"Where are you going, Sheik?", he looked at me with pure, childlike curiosity on his face.

"I won't be out for long, Hero. I'll just see if I can find a healer or a potion to treat your wounds."

"Don't leave, please. I'm sure you can treat me yourself.", he stated, and I suddenly wasn't sure what to say or do about it, for I've never been skilled at treating wounds. When needed, aunt Impa and Princess Zelda would treat them with healing magic. It was quite shameful to me. The sheikah were famous for being good at offensive, defensive and healing spells and I, despite mastering the defensive ones, was quite bad at healing spells. At least my mastery at offensive spells was average.

So I told him the truth about it: "Hero, I'm afraid treating injuries isn't my specialty. It would be better for you if I brought help."

"But Sheik-"

"Hey! Listen! Won't it be safer for you to just listen to what Sheik says? We don't have all the time in the world for you to spend arguing with him.", Navi, after coming out of the Hero's hat, said in a way only a nagging parent would. Speaking of Navi, I recently realized that no matter how much time passes, I'll never figure out how she managed to hide herself so well under that hat.

"No way, Navi. I have reasons, a lot of reasons for not letting him go.", he surely looked determined. What a stubborn hero. But then again, I noticed heroes were often stubborn. They would never finish their quests if they weren't.

"I'll see if I can find a first aid kit here in Impa's house, Hero, before you get an infection in those wounds." The Hero instantly became pleased by that.

"Thank you, Sheik! I knew you wouldn't let me down!"

At that point, I noticed Navi seemed rather tired of his stubbornness, and I was proven right when she said she needed to go out for some fresh air.

"You should go then, Navi. See you later at cucco lady's house."

-"-

I confess it somewhat scared me when the Hero smiled wide with joy after acknowledging Navi would go out. "You know, Sheik, I really like Navi, I really do. She's a nice person-… er, fairy, even though she likes nagging me way too much for a fairy. But… you see… lately she's being so moody I don't know what to do! So yes, I was actually relived when she said she would go for a walk-…er, for a fly."

Why was she so moody at the time, I wonder? I couldn't help but theorize about it. "There is a time in a woman's life when they can't have children anymore, and due to those… body changes, caused by old age, said woman gets quite moody for some period of time. I wonder if that is Navi's case?"

"It must be that, then. I just wonder if Navi's old enough to have it happen to her… and if it actually happens to fairies."

"If it isn't that, I'm afraid it must be your fault, Hero. Maybe you do something that annoys her deeply.", I teased, adding a fake frown to compliment it.

"What?!", he looked serious at first, but then burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! That was so… unsheiklike. Really."

"Unsheiklike?", I asked, smiling under the cowl.

"Yes, there's no better word for it. But yeah, maybe I do an- Wai… Shh cominn' ou'!"

Before I could ask anything more, the Hero put his hand inside his mouth and took out a tooth. Then he looked at me brightly and cheered, "Look, Sheik! The stupid loosened tooth came out!"

"How curious, it seems you are still losing your teeth.", was all I could say.

"It seems my teeth couldn't fall down when I was sleeping in the Temple of Time. But now they can! That's wonderful!", he seemed to be quite excited about that. Maybe he still believed in the Tooth Fairy?

"Now I can wait until Tooth Fairy comes to take it and give me some rupees in return!", Yes, he did.

I wasn't expecting Princess Zelda to make us go back in time after they (the Hero and herself) defeated Ganondorf, so I thought the Hero was going to have to mature soon, or else he would always have trouble to act like an adult. Then I felt I should begin by telling him the Tooth Fairy didn't exist. "Hero, Tooth Fairy won't come. She doesn't exist."

He seemed disappointed by the revelation. "Of course she exists! Who else would put ruppes under my pillow every time a tooth fell? Wait…", then he looked pitifully at me. "Don't tell me she forgot about you? That's why you don't believe her. Such an awful fairy! How could she forget a child?!".

The Hero was pretty angry at Tooth Fairy, so I just told him, "Calm down, Hero. Think it over with me. If Tooth Fairy takes your teeth but never took mine, then maybe someone close to you replaces your teeth with ruppes instead of her, right?"

"And who would do that?"

"Navi.", was my answer, to which he seemed shocked by. "Maybe she wished to make your sudden transition to adulthood less impactful, so she maintained those children traditions."

"Wait… There are more children traditions…?"

"Yes, there are. And they usually involve the act of presenting children."

The Hero thought it over, then asked, "Then Minish Klaus and Easter Hylia don't exist… Right?"

"Well…Easter Hylia I'm sure doesn't exist, but Minish Klaus…We have a large number of royal archives pointing to the existence of the Minish tribe. What I don't quite believe is that this Minish Klaus presents children all over the world, every year.", I certainly couldn't have given him a more honest answer. It was unrealistic for such a small creature to travel the whole world in a single day.

"Do you receive gifts when it's Hyliamas?", he asked me, probably trying to find proof that Minish Klaus was actually real. (1)

"Yes, I certainly do.", I answered him. Then I added, much to his disappointment. "But it's from Princess Zelda and Impa."

"Oh, I see.", he answered, crestfallen. Then he changed the subject. "Sheik, that time you didn't really convince me that you were a boy."

That sentence…caught me off guard, which made a fierce blush spread on my cheeks out of embarrassment. I was aware that I wasn't a very…masculine person, but did he have to point it out so much? So without thinking, I told him, "My voice shows I am male, Hero."

With an amusing expression of disbelief on his face, he answered me, "I'm sorry, Sheik. That won't do.

Your voice is too low pitched for a woman and too high pitched for a man. And it only gets worse when this cowl muffles your voice."

Well, that was pretty straightforward. So he needed a more solid proof. "I am sure only men have shoulders as wide as mine."

But he had to counterattack, "I've never seen men with such narrow waist, though."

So that wasn't enough proof as well. Taking off my cowl would only lead to showing a rather feminine face, which would only increase his collection of arguments. But the only other part that clearly showed I was male was… the external organ exclusive to men. And it would be too impolite and shameful to show it so freely. Then I tried to end the discussion by declaring, "If you don't want to believe I'm male, then don't. What's important is that I am Sheik, right?"

"Right.", he answered, though his face was holding a very suspicious and… should I say… very sneaky expression that sent chills down my spine.

After that, some minutes passed in total silence, until The Hero made a surprised face. "When we were talking about Minish Klaus, did you say 'Princess Zelda'?! I am worried sick for her! Do you know where she is?!"

I couldn't tell him where she was, for their triforces would probably resonate if they met each other. Ganondorf's triforce would resonate as well, which could make him find them before Link was properly equipped and trained for the final battle. The probability of Link dying under such circumstances was unbelievably high. As it wasn't worth taking the risk, I quickly told him Princess Zelda was fine before putting him to sleep with a meek, basic sheikah spell.

-"-

I awoke in the middle of the night feeling a very unusual, yet gentle breeze gracing my… private parts. And hovering over them… was The Hero! So that was what that suspicious face was hiding. I quickly mended the rip he had made in my clothes before shouting, "Did you really need to know my gender so much, Hero?!"

"Oh, yeah! It's the same size!", he exclaimed, looking sickly excited.

I looked weirdly at him before asking, "What…?"

"Not only you are really a boy, which means you haven't lied to me, your peepee is as the same size as mine! Isn't that wonderful~?!"

So he was basing his trust on me over an organ. How unique. But why was its size so important? Why would a person be so happy over such a meaningless detail? Then I remembered children often worried about details, which explained most of the bullying between children in Kakariko village. Having purple hair or big hands failed to strike me as a reason to bully, though children would consider them the perfect explanation for such foul act.

"Sheik, wasn't I all bandaged up some moments ago?", he asked, interrupting my thoughts.

So I told him, even though I knew he would be mad at me, "While you were sleeping, Hero, I bought a powerful potion that would heal you completely in a few moments."

He surely looked disappointed. Pouting, he declared, "You spoiled my plans to straighten our friendship! If I stayed hurt, you would look after me for a week or so, wouldn't you?"

"I have never noticed you had such a manipulative side, Hero", I stated, smiling. "But if you delay your obligations too much, a large number of people will suffer. Ganondorf is a very oppressive king."

Still pouting, he asked, "That means you'll have to leave tomorrow morning, right?"

"Yes, I will have to. So ask me anything you want before we go back to sleep. I won't be here when you wake up."

"Sheik, do you…", I noticed he was blushing faintly. "…believe in fairytales?"

At the time I wondered what sort of question was that, so I answered, "Not really. Rarely a prince and a princess that fall in love with each other get married. They are often forced to marry someone they don't even like for the sake of the country. Besides, things aren't as perfect as they are in fairytales."

"But… one thing is for sure: no matter how many hardships they face, they never stop loving each other. I hope it applies for real life, Sheik."

I had to be honest in that point, for it wasn't good to have a heartbroken hero. So I told him, "It applies for a very small amount of people, Hero."

"Does it apply for you?", then he locked his sapphire blue eyes with my ruby red ones. Feeling a sudden, hot blush on my cheeks, I stuttered for a moment before replying:

"I have never loved anyone romantically in this life, though I feel as if I did love someone in a past life. So even though I don't know who I loved, romantic feelings are not at all unfamiliar to me." I wasn't very sure if the authenticity of said answer could be proven. "So if you have romantic issues, just think of me as an older brother and talk about it. I will gladly listen to you."

He then smirked and said, "Oh, I wouldn't dare tell you, older brother, about that stuff."

"And why wouldn't you? I won't tell anyone whatever you tell me, I promise.", I wasn't sure why, but curiosity was getting the best of me.

"Because incest is forbidden.", he then smirked again and went to sleep, leaving me alone to think, for hours and hours, about what he had just said. He wasn't straightforward when he needed to be, that I was sure of.

After much pondering, I finally realized how he made us switch sides. Now the child, the clueless one, was me, who was having much trouble to find out what he meant by that. Was it possible that he had just implied he loved me, the 'older brother' who he had 'incestuous feelings' for? Or maybe he was in love with Princess Zelda, but thought she was his sister? Could he actually be in love with Saria, the mother-sister who took care of him, but also played with him?

All the options would cause him a major headache. Princess Zelda could only marry royalty. Saria would always be a child. And I…same sex relationships weren't and still aren't well accepted in our kingdom, though a part of me, at the time, secretly wished I was his chosen one. It was then that I suddenly became aware that I, a stoic sheikah warrior bound to duty, was in love with him, the Hero with a child's mind. Even if I wasn't a princess, he wasn't a prince and we weren't polished examples of perfection.

-"-

Notes:

Hyliamas is Hyrulian's Christmas in this fanfic.


	4. Fear

Genre: Romance/Drama

Summary: "As the harsh storm stung his eyes, he didn't even waver. All he did was stare at me, a feeling hidden in his eyes. A feeling of… How can I put it… longing. Yes, maybe 'longing' is the right word."

* * *

I have always asked myself why that desert is so creepy, specially the Haunted Wasteland area. And no, it's not because it is haunted. I swear, it makes me way more afraid than that Shadow Temple! I could never understand why I feel that way. How can a weird merchant, a perpetual sandstorm, some stupid mirages and an enigmatic poe be scarier than the smell of blood, rotten flesh and the sight of undead corpses wandering around?

I mean, flying vases that hit visitors as they enter the Spirit Temple are way less scary than walking on air in the Shadow Temple… right?

During my time in the future, I often wondered if Sheik had actually visited any of the temples. I wonder if he has issues with the Spirit Temple, too? I will ask him when I find him. I wonder if he'll remember me. Zelda did, so I hope he does as well.

Maybe it's best if Hyrule never learns about my fears. People have a hard time accepting that their hero has flaws. But yeah, everyone has flaws. Especially when they are thrown into adulthood like I was. During my time as an adult, all sorts of feelings used to come to me, all at once, nearly flooding me. I would often express an optimistic, rather innocent view towards life, as Sheik would say. But the truth was that I was afraid and insecure. The easygoing attitude has always been just a mask, never to be uncovered.

When I didn't know what do to, I would always resort to thinking things over, which has always been a favorite pastime of mine. It is a way of understanding dubious feelings and occurrences. What puzzled me the most was what I felt for Sheik, and then I came to realize it was love, the romantic kind seen on fairytales. But there was something that puzzled me even more: What did Sheik feel for me, after all? He worked so hard in hiding his feelings that I never found out what he truly felt for me. I often curse that cowl of his for making my job even harder.

But… there was a time when I managed to catch a glimpse of his true nature. It was the last time we met, on that awful Wasted Wasteland. I had just exited the Spirit Temple, very upset that I would have to come back there as a child. When I was wondering if I would have to cross that unwelcoming desert a second time, a loud sound of something hitting the floor was heard. It was Sheik. I don't need to say he scared me to death. After all, he managed to land on a rare rocky spot near the temple, which intensified the sound. So I playfully said: "Hey, Sheik! Way to scare me out, huh?! What a lovable big brother!"

Sheik chuckled. His chuckle sounds very nice. It shows his happiness, yet is accompanied by a restriction, a sense of duty that states he can't let his emotions control him.

Then he began his speech, which I paid no attention at all. There was no point in listening what he was saying when I finally had the opportunity to admire the intensity of his eyes, and maybe find out what emotions he was hiding in the depth of those striking red orbs. All I did see was a hint of… sadness. But why was he sad? I wondered if I could make him feel happier.

"Hero, were you listening to me?", He scolded, pulling me off of my own little world.

"Huh… Not really.", I admitted, scratching the back of my head to show embarrassment.

He seemed hurt, but patiently repeated his speech. I, who wanted to make him feel happier, hurt him even more. It's obvious I have a special way of messing things up. In the end, he taught me the Requiem of Spirit, which made me grateful for not having to cross the desert again.

A sandstorm began. As the harsh storm stung his eyes, he didn't even waver. All he did was stare at me, a feeling hidden in his eyes. A feeling of… How can I put it… longing. Yes, maybe 'longing' is the right word. As it became stronger, nothing could be seen anymore and I had to shield my eyes using my arms. I was so scared that I called to him, "Sheik! Are you alright?!"

The sandstorm suddenly subdued, which was very odd. And worse, Sheik wasn't there anymore. I still wonder if he was actually the one who created it. What upset me the most was that he didn't even say goodbye like he always did. I hope it wasn't revenge for not hearing his speech.

Inside the Spirit Temple, I finally figured out what he longed for. He longed for a lot of things. In fact, the trained eye could see he was always looking for something, maybe something he had lost a long time ago. If it is happiness, I'll do my best to make him happy when I find him, even if it requires wearing the 'Mask of Innocence'.

And by thinking about my fears I came to understand Sheik a little more. He didn't say goodbye to me because he feared he would never see me again.

That's why I hate, why I actually fear the Haunted Wasteland: It was there that Sheik disappeared. And I fear, too, the possibility of never seeing him again.

Yet, hope keeps me searching for him.


	5. Home

Genre:Family/Romance

Description: Sheik's POV.

It took me a while to understand I was sent back in time. Then joy overflowed my mind when I heard their voices; they had died in the future.

"When will that rotten egg wake up, Shika?!"

"Don't be so hard on him, big sis! I swear he was having a nightmare last night!"

"Please, excuse me, you two. I promise it wasn't my intention to oversleep.", I said, noticing my voice lacked the subtle low-pitch it once had.

"Sheik, what's with that ridiculous, well elaborated speech?! You must have a fever, boy!", Kiesha, my older sister, exclaimed. I just chuckled in reply. Kiesha is often seen as a harsh person, despite being quite sensitive and caring on the inside. I suppose that when a fifteen year-old suddenly lose their parents and must take care of their younger siblings, harshness becomes a way to impose authority.

As I was climbing out of bed, I noticed I was without the cowl, which made me quickly open my closet. I didn't find it, much to my disappointment.

" What are you looking for, bro? Can I help you look for it?", Shika, my younger sister, asked sweetly.

As I was about to accept her offer, I remembered, again, that I was sent back in time, which meant I didn't have the cowl yet. So I told her, also sweetly, that I would eventually find what I was looking for.

Shika is a very gentle, kind and sweet seven year-old girl, who still had not been initiated in the cold, impersonal ways of the sheikah. But I doubt she will ever lose her gentleness, especially with the diplomatic skills she has.

But being without the cowl was horrible, so by impulse I opened Kiesha's closet and took hers. As she is quite possessive of her belongings, she fiercely exclaimed: "What are you doing to my cowl, Sheik?! You know I can't go outside without it!"

"I was actually going to put it on.", I admitted, ashamed.

"What...? But you aren't even old enough to use this stuff!", Kiesha said, a surprised look on her face.

"But I need to use it, because... you see..."

"I know what you're going to say. You had a very weird dream in which you used the cowl, right?"

Knowing she wasn't going to believe that I was in the future some moments ago, I confirmed her supposition.

Days went by and I was getting accostumed to being a twelve year-old boy who had to do daily chores. It was quite nice to have a home again, though that didn't mean I didn't think of the future sometimes. What I missed the most from that time was the Hero's presence. I wondered if he remembered me. Even if he did, I figured he would be better off without me. My stupid love for him wouldn't be good influence if he found out about it.

One day, while frying cucco's eggs, I decided to tell Shika the tale of the Hero of Time and how Princess Zelda turned back time. Halfway through, however, we were interrupted by an angry Kiesha, "Sheik, I have already told you a lot of times to not get involved with outsiders! Which part of it didn't you understand?"

I must have looked surprised when I told her, "What are you talking about...?"

"Well, there is a boy outside named Link who wants to talk to you. What if he's a spy?!"

Some strange impulse consumed my legs as I instantly burst out of the door and ran as fast as I could to meet him again. And there he was, in the child version I thought I would never see. It's funny how his eyes were the same, despite all the body and height differences. He pulled me into a tight, loving hug and murmured I should show my face more often. I murmured back that he was making me blush. He just giggled in reply.

And there I was, back home and with the Hero by my side.

My life couldn't get any better.


	6. Conquer Yourself

**This one takes place during the Water Temple, when Link is an adult.**

**Genre: Humor/Drama/Romance**

**Summary: After feeling bad after killing Dark Link, Link gets consolled by Sheik.**

* * *

Link had noticed the Water Temple was quite exhausting since the first five minutes inside it. Changing the water level and his boots countless times was driving him insane. And to top it all, he couldn't think of anything to say to Princess Ruto, his fiancée, to justify his seven-year absence.

But what he regretted the most was entering that room without a good rest.

Behind the seemingly innocent door, there was a cursed chamber which cast illusions of a beautiful, endless landscape. At first, Link had become mesmerized by it. Soon after, his beaming smile faded. He became so scared that it seemed like his eyes were going to pop out of his face.

Upon seeing the heartbreaking mood swing, Navi asked: "What's wrong, Link?"

"Don't you see what I see, Navi…?", the boy asked incredulously.

"No.", she stated simply.

"There is a shadow in that little isle! Yeah, I was a fool to think I could have a nap in this pretty room."

"Let's just confront it, then."

As soon as they came closer to it, Link made an even more shocked expression: The shadow looked just like him, despite being all gray and having red eyes! Then it started attacking him. Things became worse when Link found out it was really hard to dodge its attacks, as it was also left-handed and used the same sword techniques as him.

"Navi, what should I do?!", Link asked, clearly desperate.

"All I have to tell you, Link, is that you try to conquer yourself.", Navi replied, a sly smirk on her face, as she flied to what seemed to be the ceiling to avoid getting herself killed by the swords.

Up there, she could faintly hear Link screaming, very pissed out, "Navi, what a help you are!"

="=

Outside the temple, Sheik was sitting playing his harp. As much as he had to go to Kakariko, he couldn't help but feel worried when the Hero entered the Water Temple. He had heard all sorts of bad things about that place, like hylians and zoras getting lost there forever, hylians drowning after losing their zora tunics, people breaking their heads after falling down of very tall places… And that was it. Impa was going to have to wait. They could check Bongo-Bongo's seal later.

After faintly hearing a low-pitched scream coming out of the temple, Sheik instantly entered the place. He would ask Impa to forgive him later.

="=

If there's something Sheik should be proud of, it would be of his swimming skills. As much as he had to thank his Zora Scale for making it possible to dive so deep into the water, the skill of holding his breath for long five minutes was acquired after years and years of training. After much searching, he finally reached the room Link was in. The hero lay there sobbing, his eyes swollen from crying and with several small cuts marring a good portion of his body. As Sheik ran to his side to console him, he noticed there was a body behind them, the Master Sword embedded in its stomach. When Sheik asked who it was, it was Navi who replied instead of the Hero, "Hey, Sheik! Listen! The one Link killed was an evil version of himself. As it looked so much like him, he's feeling guilty about it. Console him for me, will you?", then she flied away through a small gap, visible because there was no fake landscape anymore, and entered another room.

Knowing it was useless to run after Navi, the sheikah did as asked, "Hero, please feel free to talk about it."

"Okay… I'll tell you.", Link began, "Killing him was like killing a twin brother. I even had a hard time fighting him because our fighting skills were the same!" Link smiled softly, and then continued, "I wonder if we could be friends? I shouldn't have killed him after all…"

"Don't say that, Hero. You attacked him because he attacked you first, am I right?"

"Yes, you are.", Link replied, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

"Then you shouldn't feel guilty about it. You aren't an assassin. You killed to protect yourself.", Sheik reassured him.

Some minutes passed, until Sheik had an idea to console Link, "Hero…"

"What is it, Sheik?"

"Come here.", the sheikah offered him a hug, which he gladly accepted. While Link enjoyed the physical closeness, Sheik was amused by the Hero's reaction to such a simple act. It was at times like these that he was reminded that the young man wasn't an adult after all.

Still hugging his guide, Link suddenly asked, "Sheik, what do I say to Princess Ruto? She thinks I abandoned her!"

"So she's really your fiancée, huh?", the sheikah replied, finding it hard to hide that the Hero had just broken his heart.

"Yes, but I don't like her that way. I just accepted that Zora Sapphire because it was needed to open the door in the Temple of Time, and I was actually planning to give it back to her later."

Sheik felt as if his heart was being mended. Then he said, "So explain it to her. I am sure she will understand."

"If you think so…"

="=

Night came. Sheik lazily stood up after noticing he had fallen asleep on the cold floor of the Water Temple. And by his side… was Link's hat.

The sheikah finally understood why he had such a comfortable sleep, and a fierce blush spread on his face. "You may have conquered yourself, Hero, but you should stop losing the hat that you love so much."

And then Sheik ventured further into the temple to give Link his hat back, meanwhile making a furious aunt wait for him in Kakariko.


End file.
